New film celebrates trailblazing Scottish female documentary makers in the early 20th century
FOR the children on board the SS City of Benares, the trip would have been emotional and perhaps quite thrilling: a first time away from home, bound for a new land.
The young evacuees’ journey from Britain to the safe refuge of Canada was meant to protect them from war, and Scottish filmmaker Ruth Grierson was onboard to capture them on their way with moving images that would surely bring comfort to fretful parents back home.
But as the Clyde-built passenger liner steamed towards Montreal, there were two dull thuds from the portside engine area.
The German U-48 submarine torpedo attack left the vessel mortally wounded, and claimed the lives of 87 children and 175 adults, causing national outrage and an end to the policy of overseas evacuation.
Ruth, sister of “father of documentaries” John Grierson and with a knack for bringing stories to life, was among those who would not survive.
And her body of work, including motivational short stories of life in wartime Britain or others which shone a light on working-class struggles, would be forgotten and her name slowly erased.
Now her work and that of her sister Marion, whose filmmaking career was also cut short in very different circumstances, are being celebrated as part of a short film which will be shown tonight in Bo’ness.
1930s innovation
ENTITLED The Camera Is Ours, the film includes their work alongside other innovative women documentary-makers who, between 1930 and 1960, strived to smash social barriers and break into the maledominated world of filmmaking.
Some saw their efforts overshadowed in film credits by male colleagues, if they featured at all, and others – including Marion – faced intense pressure to choose home and family over a career.
Yet while the sisters’ achievements were forgotten, their brother would be hailed as the father of British and Canadian documentary-making for work that included the famous Night Mail film of steam trains collecting post sacks accompanied by stirring narrative and music.
Ironically, Marion, who worked on the film, was not even mentioned in the credits. “Marion and Ruth made lovely films that were both ahead of their time. However, their names have largely disappeared,” said Ros Cranston, British Film Institute National Archive curator of non-fiction.
“It’s vital to show these women’s work. It’s time they got the recognition they deserve.”
‘Voice of God’
RUTH’S style was particularly groundbreaking, she added. While most documentaries at the time – including her brother’s – featured a “voice of
God” male narrator, she encouraged people to talk directly to the camera.
“Ruth once told her brother his trouble was that he looked at things as if they are in a goldfish bowl. She told him ‘I’m going to smash your goldfish bowl’,” said Ms Cranston.
“He looked at things from afar. While his films looked at the dignity of the labour workforce and the working-class man, he didn’t talk to them, whereas Ruth wanted to get to know them.”
The siblings were born near Stirling and were encouraged by their liberal parents, both teachers, to pursue education and university. The sisters were particularly motivated by their mother, a suffragette, who pushed them towards an independent life and fulfilling career.
But while Ruth’s work – and life – was tragically cut short,
Marion’s career was hindered by a common problem of balancing demands of family and work.
Her 1935 documentary, Beside The Seaside, which follows a day by the beach, showcases a knack for gentle storytelling and camera skills, Ms Cranston added.
“Marion made beautiful, pioneering films and used cinematic techniques that were ahead of their time,” she said.
She drifted into film editing and became a youth worker in Glasgow.
Ruth, meanwhile, had seemed destined for a strong career until tragedy struck.
“Her early death makes you wonder what else she might have achieved,” Ms Cranston added.
Marion and Ruth made lovely films that were both ahead of their time but their names have largely disappeared
The Camera is Ours can be seen at Bo’ness Hippodrome, West Lothian, today at 7.30pm and includes a Q&A with curator Ros Cranston